The present invention relates in general to firearms and other projectile weapons (such as rail guns, gas weapons, air guns, Tasers or similar weapons, projected energy weapons, and the like), and more particularly to weapons incorporating sensors and logic that can constrain the circumstances under which the weapon can be fired.
From shotguns to rifles to handguns, firearms and other projectile or projectile-like weapons have proven to be a valuable tool for law enforcement and self-defense. Sadly, however, firearms have also proven to be a valuable tool for criminals, who use them to threaten, injure, or murder their victims. In addition, many people are injured or killed each year through accidental discharge of firearms, including children playing with a parent's gun.
Attempts to solve these problems include trigger locks and gun safes. While they are of some help, both solutions are imperfect. Trigger locks and gun safes, for example, keep unauthorized users (particularly children) from operating a firearm or other weapon, but they can also interfere with legitimate users' ability to respond quickly to a deadly threat. Further, because a criminal can steal a weapon or a gun safe and remove the lock at his or her leisure, trigger locks and gun safes do little to prevent stolen weapons from being used in further crimes.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide weapons with improved protection against unauthorized use.